Met Office issue amber warning as tail end of Hurricane Bertha nears south of England

THE Met Office has issued an amber weather warning as the tail end of Hurricane Bertha nears the south of England.

The Met Office has warned that the tropical storm that has been battering the Caribbean has a 60 per cent chance of hitting the south of England.

The remains of Hurricane Bertha, which has now weakened to an Atlantic storm, will come steadily towards the UK during the next few days.

Forecasters now predict it is expected to pass over, or close to, the UK from early on Sunday after initially believing the UK was "likely" to stay out of its path.

While the south of England is most at risk, there is a 30 per cent chance the storm could pass across the north of France and just miss the UK or an even lower probability it could hit Wales and northern UK.

The Met Office's chief forecaster, Eddy Carroll, said: "There is still considerable uncertainty surrounding this weekend's weather, with the potential for heavy rainfall and strong coastal winds, along with large waves.

"However, there is a chance that the system may pass to the south of the country, or spread heavy rain even further north.

"Rain and strong winds may well bring disruption, especially in the south, and people should stay up to date with the latest Met Office warnings."

The storm is moving away from the western side of the Atlantic, after hitting the Caribbean islands with gusts of more than 90mph (145kph), leaving thousands of homes without power.

Meanwhile heavy rain is expected in many parts of England tomorrow, brining with it a risk of flooding.

Craig Woolhouse, the Environment Agency's flood risk manager, said: "Heavy downpours, some slow-moving, bring a risk of localised surface water flooding to parts of the Midlands, the north-west and eastern areas of England on Friday.

"On Sunday and Monday a combination of high spring tides and strong westerly winds brings a possible risk of flooding to the south-west coast of England and along the Severn Estuary while heavy rain may also lead to localised surface water flooding in parts of southern and central parts of England.

"However, the forecast remains uncertain so we advise people to regularly check the flood risk situation over the next 48 hours.

"The Environment Agency is continuing to monitor the situation closely along with the Met Office and local authorities."